Improvement in shirt-bosoms



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

E. F. FRENCH, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELF AND E. C.

' TERRILL, OF SAME PLACE.

IMPROVEMENT lN SHlRT-BOSOMS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 49,027, dated July 25, 1865.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, E. F. FRENCH, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented a new anduseful Improvement in Shirt- Bosoms; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, which will enable those skilled in the art to make and use the same, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification.

The most desirable form of shirt-bosoms, as well as the one most generally worn and preferred by persons, is that commonly known as an open front, the two parts ofwhich have been secured or held together when worn by means of bosom-studs, so called, buttons, or other similar devices, either separate from and independent of the bosom or permanently attached thereto by sewing or in any other proper manner, so that if independent fastenings were employed it was necessary to transfer them from one bosom to another upon every change of the shirt or bosom fora clean one, the inconvenience and trouble of which, as well as the annoyance and vexation occasioned by the frequent breaking of the fastening-threads in the case of fixed buttons, have been too often experienced by all persons to need any particular recital herein.

To remedy these objections to and disadvantages in the Wearin g of open-front shirt-bosoms is the principal object of the present invention, and is accomplished thereby, it consisting in a novel and peculiar construction or formation of the overlapping parts of the two sections or portions constituting the bosom, whereby they can be readily and easily fastened or held together without necessitating the employment of any extra or separate devices therefor, such as have been herein enumerated as hitherto generally used, the bosom presenting not only a neat andtastyappearance, butbein gin every respect much more convenient to be worn.

In the accompanying plate of drawings my improvement is illustrated, Figure 1 being a front view ofan open-front bosom with its parts open from each other Fig. 2, a view of the bosom with its parts secured together; and Fig.

3, a transverse section of the same, taken in the plane of the line a: a Fig. 2.

a a in the drawings represent a shirt-bosom, made of the material usually employed therefor, with a series of plaits, b b b, of any desired width, and ornamented by stitching or in any other proper manner, and divided or formed in two separate parts or pieces, 0 and d. This bosom is secured to a neck-binding, f, and to the b-idy or main portion 9 of the shirt, by means ofsewing or in any other proper manner, and, as in ordinary open-front bosoms, the ends of the neck-binding being held together about the neck of the person wearing the bosom by a button, h, attached to one end of the same, of suitable size to be inserted in orput through the button-hole Z upon the other oroverlapping end of the same.

Upon and along the inner edge, m, of the part0 of the bosom to the neck-bindingofwhieh the button It is secured,and either for its whole length or a portion of the same, I form a narrow pocket, 11,, by overlapping a portion, 0, of

the material of which that part ot'the bosom is made, or by sewing an additional piece or strip of cloth or linen upon the same for and throughout its entire length, and along theinner edge of the bosom c, which overlapping or additional piece is sewed at each end to the bosom, but left open or separate therefrom along its edge p. In this pocket at, when desired to fasten the two parts of the bosom together, fits a lapel or flap-piece, q, made of suitable width therefor, and either attached to the other or overlapping part, (1, of the bosom along its edge 1', or forming a part thereof, which flap is of corresponding length to that of the pocket at, or at least sufficient that when inserted therein the bosom will be both smooth and evenin appearance and its parts retained together as it is worn, without danger of their flying open, as it were, the unpleasantness of which is well known.

From the above description it is apparent that by my improved mode of forming the overlapping portions of a shirt-bosom not only can they be securely retained together without the use of buttons, studs, 800., but that aneat and tasty appearance is given thereto, and the bosom will not be soiled or defaced in opening or closing the front, as is the case when the ordinary fastenings are used, the advantages of which are many and manifest.

In lieu of forming one continuous pocket for and along either the Whole or a portion of one part of the bosom, with a lapel or flap-piece upon the other part of a corresponding length, or nearly so, as described, a series of pockets of two or more in number and at equal distanees apart may be used without departing from the principle of the presentinvention, as hereinbefore stated, it being only necessary that interlocking flap-pieces or lapels of the same number and length and at similar distances apart must be made upon or attached to the overlapping portion of the bosom, and therefore I do notintend to limitmyself to any particular length or number of pockets and interlocking lapels; and, furthermore, they can be made of various Widths, according as may be desired or deemed necessary.

I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- An open-front shirt-bosom secured together by means of one or more pockets formed along and upon the inner edge of one of the parts, and a corresponding number of interlocking lapels or flap-pieces of suitable length and width on the other or overlapping part, substantially in the manner described, and for the purpose specified.

The above specification of my invention signed by me this 5th day 0t" June, 1865.

Witnesses: E. F. FRENCH.

ALBERT W. BROWN, M. M. LIVINGSTON. 

